hurricane sandy was devastating. the hudson river spilled into hoboken from both the north and the south. more than half of the city was flooded. three of the four firehouses and more than 7000 homes were flooded. we estimate the total damage at well over $100 million. thankfully, our main street did not flood and is open for business. even the businesses that did not flood have been severely impacted by one of our principal means of transportation to new york. the train has been flooded and still has not been restored. this is due to the difficulty of getting to and from the city. some were forced to operate at an alternate location as they tried to navigate the insurance got lead. the national flood insurance program is not designed to meet the needs of the urban environment. there is a fundamental unfairness that i respectfully ask congress to try to address. there forced to purchase flood insurance by their mortgage companies. the program treat garden style businesses as if they were basements. the direct uninsur